Awful experience - avoid - werkgeversreview PR Manager bij Kaizen

There are strong progression opportunities, with a clear management structure, review cycle, and goal-setting process that are consistently followed. The culture of teamwork stands out across all levels, and you truly feel like everyone is working together rather than in silos. It’s a supportive environment, with genuine effort put into bringing people together through initiatives like lunch & learns, cross-team collaboration, and regular socials. The senior leadership team has recently outlined an exciting vision for the future of the business, with ambitious growth goals that extend to both the service offering and the team itself. Most importantly, it’s clear that people across the company genuinely care, and not only about their clients, but also about each other. The senior team actively seeks feedback and is committed to ensuring that everyone enjoys their work, feels fulfilled in their role, and stays inspired.

Forward planning and capacity management could be more efficient, as the current approach often creates unnecessary stress within the team. This is an area that would benefit from focused improvement at a business level. As part of this, there isn’t always enough time dedicated to personal development, whether that’s staying up to date with our fast-changing industry or pursuing individual growth projects. Creating more time for this would directly support the company’s ambitions, helping the team stay fully informed on industry trends, contribute to thought leadership, and build stronger, more innovative strategies for clients. It would also position us to achieve the agency’s clear goal of being seen as leaders in the market.

The high-pressure environment can build resilience and skills that are valuable in future roles, where your contributions are genuinely recognised and appreciated.

Despite a recent influx of suspiciously glowing four- and five-star reviews, Kaizen remains an agency where doing your best is rarely enough. Employees are frequently expected to work extensive overtime, often without compensation or time back, and many managers lack the experience or empathy needed to effectively lead their teams. While the company appears to be making efforts to move beyond its old reputation, it’s difficult to believe real progress is being made when the same individuals who enforce high-pressure management practices remain in senior positions. This is especially evident within the Digital PR Dept., where KPIs and PIPs are still used as tools of pressure rather than development. Time and again, I’m hearing about stress, tears, and burnout among junior team members — a clear sign that the underlying culture issues and toxic management tactics have yet to be addressed.